Army 1st Lt. Jared W. Southworth

Died February 8, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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26, of Oakland, Ill.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, Illinois National Guard, Marion, Ill.; died Feb. 8 in Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Army Staff Sgt. Jason E. Burkholder.

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Fallen lieutenant ‘would do whatever it takes’

The Associated Press

Lt. John Bennett of the Charleston Police Department drew a few laughs at Jared W. Southworth’s funeral when he related how, during his training, Southworth volunteered to be subjected to Taser testing.

“It was situations such as those that proved Jared would do whatever it takes,” he said. “He was the embodiment of the warrior spirit. To truly honor him, we must keep his legacy alive.”

Southworth, 26, of Oakland, Ill., was killed Feb. 8 in Kabul of wounds from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to Marion, Ill.

Southworth was a member of the Oakland Police Department. He earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Lake Land College and a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Eastern Illinois University in 2006.

“He was always in a good mood and always had that infectious smile on his face,” Bennett said.

The Rev. Tony Crouch told of Southworth’s love of baseball. In one game, he hit home runs in his first three at-bats and followed that with a “ringing double” in his fourth.

He is survived by his wife, Chrissy, and children Logan, 7, Owen, 6 Carly, 3 and Ally, 2.